Time interval indicating device



Dec. 10, 1* T. F. TUCKER TIME INTERVAL INDICATING DEVICE Fiied March 15; 1938 INVENT OR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 19, 1940 U NIT-ED STATES PATEN T OF Fl CE 2,224,451 TIME INTERVAL INDIGATING'DEVICE "llhornas F. Tucker, Jamaica, N. Y.

1 Application March 1 5, 19.38,:Scrial N0..195,998

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a time interval indicator device for home or oiiice use to remind the user thereof of certain happenings which may occur during predetermined time intervals of a day and in which the user is interested.

One of the main features of the invention resides in a time interval indicator device which has many uses such as an appointment reminder or a time cooking reminder, but which is cspecially adaptable for use as a radio programreminder to indicate those programs during the day which a user may wish to hear.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a time interval indicator device which is capable of being set for predetermined time intervals of fifteen minutes each over a period of twelve hours, the time indicator members being so arranged as to indicate at a glance the settings over a period of six hours,there being 'a novel means of bringing the preset time indicator members for the other six hours into display position when the time arrives.

A further object of the invention is the pro vision of a time interval indicator device having the above mentioned features, which 'is simple, compact, and inexpensive of construction,

and which is attractive in appearance so as not to detract from the furnishings of the home or ofice in which the device may be used.

With these and other objects in View, the invention resides in the certain novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, the essential features of which are hereinafter fully described in the specification, are pointed out in the appended claim, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the time interval indicator device showing certain of the time indicator members in neutral position and certain others in predetermined set position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view through the pivotal axis of the reversible time indicator panel. I

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the time indicator panel per se looking at the reverse side of that shown in Figure l.

50 Figure 5 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view through the reversible panel toillustrate the construction and mounting of one of the time indicator slide members.

Figure 6 is a collective perspective view of a 55 plurality-cf different'column heading strips which be supported by any well known form of easel, In

or when the device is intended for use as a radio program reminder, .the'wall Il may be the panel of a radio receiving set or may be set'therein.

The panel wall H is provided with a rectangular shaped" opening 1:4 therein and directly above 15 the top ofthe opening I4, the panel wall is provided'with a horizontal row of closely spaced window openings 15, the end window openings terminating well inward oi the sides of the wall i! to provide-spaces lfi and I! having printed there- 20 in hours and & hours, and hours and hours, respectively. Mounted on the rear side of the panel wall II above and below the plane of :the window openings :15 are -2 bars 18-48 which are reversely arranged andcoact to provide -a heading strip holder for slidably receiving a plurality of interchangeable strips such as shown in Figure .601? the drawing and which will-be specifically described hereinafter.

For the sake of illustration, assume that the time interval indicator device I'll is to be used as a radio program reminder, therefore a =head- .ingstrip 19 containing the local or "nearby radio station letters is positioned in thestrip holder at the front of the pack of strips. The strip 19 as shown in Figure 1 of the drawing includes the identifying "letters of radio stations, WEAF, WOR, -=WJZ, W-ABC, WMAC, and WHN, reading fro-m'left to rightand-which-rad-io station indicating letters respectively register with the 40 six window openings l5 to be viewed therethrough to head the six columns on thetime interval indicator panel presently to be described.

The right end wall I2 is provided with a spring actuated door 20 in alinement with the heading '45 strip holder Z bars I-'8-l8 which when opened, enables-the heading strips to be-slid out for interchanging. The space between Z bars |8l-8 permits the fingers of the hand of an operator to meach behind the panel wall I l and impart slid- '50 mg movement .to'the heading strips to slide them through the open .door. I

- If desired, a ;clock,.2l maybe mounted cinithe top of .the panel wall ll :for the-convenience of theuserzof the time :intervalsindicatordevice. (5'5 Mounted in the opening [4 is a reversible time indicating panel 22 which includes a fiat rectangular shaped body 23 having axially disposed trunnions 24 and 25 extending from opposite ends thereof midway between the top and bottom edges of the body. The trunnion 24 is mounted in a bearing 28 at the left of the opening 14, while the trunnion 25 which is longer than the trunnion 24 is journaled in the right end wall l2 and carries a manipulating knob 21 on the outer end thereof. The inner side of the knob 2! is provided with a hub 28, the face thereof having diametrically opposed semi-circular shaped recesses 23 therein. A ball catch 30 urged outwardly by a spring 3| ismounted in the right end wall I 2 and which alternately seats in the recesses 29 to secure the reversible panel 22 in its respective display positions. Th panel 22 is turned about its horizontal axis by an operator grasping the knob 21 and turning the same, and which manual turning force overcomes the tension of the spring 3| to cause the ball catch 30 to move out of one of the recesses and snap into the other recess 23 as the latter is brought into alinement with the ball catch. The spring tension on the ball catch is of such degree as to prevent accidental turning of the panel 22 when moved to either of its two display positions.

Fixedly attached to opposite sides of the flat body 23 are identical spacer members 32-32, each of which is provided with twenty-four equidistantly spaced horizontal slots 33*.

Fixedly secured to the outer sides of the spacer members 32 are track boards 34--34 of identical construction. Each track board 34 is provided with twenty-four equi-distantly spaced horizontal slots 35 which are of less width than the slots 33 but which centrally register therewith as best seen in Figure 5 of the drawing. The

- outer faces of the track boards are divided by seven equi-distantly spaced vertical lines 36 into two end neutral columns 31 and 38 adapted to register respectively with the headings l6 and I1 and six columns 39 adapted to respectively register with the six windowopenings l5 containing the six radio station identifying indicia on the strip 19. The uppermost slot 35 on either side of the panel 22 when facing outwardly has one of its ends extending to the left edge of the track board while the other end of the said slot 35 terminates at the inner side of the column 38. The next lower adjacent slot 35 has one of its ends extending to the right side of the track board and its other end terminating at the inner side of the left end column 31. The same alternate arrangement continues throughout to the lowermost slot 35 and the portions of the slots 35 which extend through the columns 31 and 38 may be termed track extensions for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

Slidable in each slot 35 is a time interval indicator member 40 constructed of a single piece of springy metal, Celluloid, or other equivalent material. The member 40 includes an elongated head 4|, spaced opposed shank portions 42, and outwardly extending flanges 43 on the free ends of the shank portions. The shank portions are resilient and may be moved toward each other to facilitate the insertion of the same through the slot 35, and when released, theshanks eX- panded into engagement with the wallsof the slots while the flanges 43 engage the inner side of the track board as clearly illustrated in Figure 5. The frictional engagement of the shank po'rf11:45 denoting eleven forty-five.

tions 42 with the walls of the slot 35 acts to hold the slidable indicator member against accidental sliding movement. There are twentyfour time interval indicator members 40 on each side of the reversible panel 22,- each containing an interval of time 44 on the outer side of the head 4|. On the side of the reversible panel 22 displayed in Figure 1, the uppermost indicator member 40 contains 6:00 denoting six oclock, while the lowermost member 40 contains The twentytwo intervening members 40 contain time indicia of fifteen minute intervals between 6:00 and 11:45. By reason of the alternate termination of the slots 35 adjacent opposite ends of the track board, only the hour and half hour indicating members 40 may be moved to their neutral position under the column l6 headed hours and /2 hours, and those members 40 denoting quarter hours and three quarter hours may be moved to a neutral position under the column I! headed hours and hours. By isolating alternate slide indicator members 49 in two groups, it is possibl to more readily select them for movement from a neutral position into indicating position into any one of the columns 39. V

The reverse side of the panel 22 from that shown in Figure 1 is illustrated in Figure 4 and the uppermost slide indicator member 40 bears the time interval 12:00 denoting twelve oclock, while the lowermost member 40 bears the time indicia 5:45 denoting five forty-five. Thus the members 40 on the opposite sides of the reversible panel 22 combined, cover consecutively fifteen minute periods over a twelve hour period of time. The .arrangement of the time indicia of the members 40 disposed on opposite sides of the reversible panel 22 are inversely arran ed relative to each other. i

The device may be used to indicate A. M. or P. M. time intervals or a combination of A. M. and P. M. when in use as a radio program re-- minder as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing,

the device In may be set to cover radio programs to be broadcast from six oclock to eleven fortyfive,it being understood that the usual broadcast programis based on fifteen minutes of time or multiples thereof. Prior to the selective setting of the device to indicate time intervals, the members 40 are moved to their neutral stations in the columns l6 and IT. The user refers to the newspaper listings for the daily broadcast to ascertain which programs are of interest to him and notes the time of the program. He then sets the time indicating members 40 in their proper radio station columns. For instance, in Figure 1, the device is set to remind the user to tune in on radio station WHN at 6:30; station WJZ at 7:00; station WMCA at 7:15; station WOR at 7:30, etc. By pre-setting the time indicator members 40 on the opposite sides of the reversible panel, the user may be reminded of those radio programs which he may wish to listen to over a period of twelve hours. After the six hour period displayed on each side of the panel 22 has passed, it is only necessary for the user to turn the knob 21 to reverse the panel and bring the opposite side of the panel into view.

In Figure 6, the reverse side of the panel heading strip l9 has been shown to illustrate that different heading indicia may be printed on opposite sides of the heading strips. Also in this figure, I have illustrated a day of the week strip 45, having the days of the week printed thereon from Monday to Saturday to respectively register with the respective window openings it: when the device is to be used for appointments scattered at difierent time intervals over the period of a week. I also show a strip 45 containing the word appointments, the letters of which are so spaced as to register with the window openings l5. With the heading strip 46 in display position, the device may be used as a daily appointment reminder. Also shown in Figure 6 is a heading strip 47 containing three sets of the words Start-Stop to register with the respective six window openings l5. With this strip in display position, the device may be used in the kitchen to indicate when food to be cooked has been placed on the stove and when it should be removed to avoid over or undercooking.

While I have shown and described what I consider to be the preferred embodiment of the construction and uses of the invention, I wish it to be understood that such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim may be resorted to if desired.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

In a device of the class described, a reversible panel comprising a flat central panel section, a

pair of fiat outer panel sections having one or 5 more horizontal slots therein, fiat spacer members interposed between the opposed sides of said central panel section and said outer panel sections, said spacer members having horizontal slots alined with and being of a greater width 1 than the adjacent slots in said outer panel sections to provide horizontal recesses in said reversible panel, indicator members slidable in the horizontal slots of said outer panel sections, each indicator member including an outer head, a pair 1 of shank portions extending inwardly from said head through one of the slots in an outer panel section and disposed in frictional engagement with the opposed walls thereof, and flanges extending outwardly from the free ends of said 2 shanks and being disposed in the slot of one of said spacer members and in engagement with the inner side of said outer panel section.

THOMAS F. TUCKER. 2 

